Father of accused Japanese teen says act unforgivable

TOKYO -- The father of a 16-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who confessed to decapitating a classmate has said his daughter's act “can never be forgiven,” reports said Sunday.

The 16-year-old, whose name was not released as she is a minor, was arrested last week on suspicion of murdering fellow student Aiwa Matsuo, 15, after police discovered her dismembered body on a bed in the suspect's home in Sasebo, western Japan.

The teenager has confessed to decapitating Matsuo and cutting off her hand, police said, with the suspect reportedly telling investigators she “wanted to dissect” someone.

“My daughter's act can never be forgiven for any reason or cause,” her father said in a statement, according to Kyodo News and other local media.

The 53-year-old said the killing deprived the victim of “time to experience the joy and happiness of life.”

“When I think of the shock and sorrow felt by the bereaved family, it breaks my heart,” he said. “I can't find the words for an apology.”

The father of the victim said he could “never forgive the criminal who bereaved my loved daughter of her life and future,” according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

A psychiatrist, who had examined the accused, told a local child consultation office weeks before the murder that the girl could kill someone if left untreated, news reports said.

The reports did not say whether she had been diagnosed with a specific condition.

Described as a strong student and athlete, the teenager had previously been involved in trouble at elementary school — reportedly lacing two of her classmates' food with bleaching agents — earlier reports had said.

Police discovered tools, including hammers and a saw, at the suspect's apartment, the top-selling Yomiuri newspaper reported last week.

The paper said the girl's mother died of cancer last year, and she began living on her own after her father remarried about three months ago.

She had only attended class a handful of times since then, the Yomiuri said.

Violent crime is still relatively rare in Japan, but several high-profile cases involving young people have heightened public concern.

Sasebo made headlines in 2004 when a primary school girl stabbed her classmate to death.